Perfume on a Budget: Zara Woman: Black

Zara is undoubtedly my favourite high street shop, a perfect mix of classic, trend and quality pieces for a reasonable price. One of Zara's little gems which often goes unnoticed has to be their perfume range. I have owned three other perfumes that I have loved and my most recent purchase is another winner!

You can buy these in both small and larger sizes, I opted for the small 30ml as its perfect to fit into my handbag to use on the go. I bought this in Europe where the prices are a little cheaper and picked it up for a bargain price of €5.95, I think in the UK you can get it for around £7.95.

This is a great evening scent as it is less floral than my previous perfumes, Zara Rose and Zara Femme. Its a beautiful, delicate yet womanly fragrance and as with the majority of Zara perfumes, smells much more expensive! Also, contrary to what you might think, it also lasts quite a long time before the smell wares off.

I swear by Zara's cheap perfume alternativesfor those months in between christmas and birthdays when, as a student, I can't quite justify forking out a fortune for something I can get for the fraction of the price!

Have you ever tried this perfume or any of the other offerings from Zara?

Ali xxx

Have you ever tried

My Top Summer Beauty Products: Body

 1. Garnier Ambre Solaire Golden Protect Shimmering Protection Lotion SPF 20 - £.8.30 from Feel Unique 

2. Origins A Perfect World Intensely Hydrating Body Cream with White Tea - £27 for 200ml from Boots 

3. Origins Modern Friction Scrub - £30 for 125 ml from Boots 

4. Redken Colour Extend After Sun Mask £17.25 from Feel Unique, Mark Hill Holiday Hair Cover Up! Protection Spray £5.99 from Boots

5. Fake Bake Flawless £26 from Boots 

6. This Works Perfect Skin Miracle £28 from Boots

7. Essie - Fiji and Tart Deco £7.99 from Boots 

8. YSL Elle Summer Edition £35 for 90ml from Boots

Without competition, the most important beauty product for summer in my opinion is sun tan lotion to protect from the harmful and premature aging effects of UVA and UVB rays. This new shimmering protection lotion from Garnier adds a golden shimmer to the skin whilst adding a radiant glow. It has a non-greasy formula and holiday fragrance enriched with Monoi Oil which leaves you protected and hydrated throughout the day with a glistening pearly glow.

A good exfoliator is key when trying to prolong and maintain that gorgeous sun-kissed glow. Without this, skin can become dry, peeling and uneven after sunbathing. This skin-refining exfoliator from Origins eradicates dead skin cells, uneven patches and signs of skin damage and discolouration to produce smooth and polished skin with a natural-looking tan.

An essential step after exfoliation is moisture replenishment, to help to maintain your tan whilst hydrating the skin after sun exposure. Origins intensely hydrating body cream is perfect for this as its rich and creamy texture sinks into the skin beautifully to prevent it from peeling and create a healthy glow.

If you are not a fan of baking in the sun, but love having a natural-looking tan, then a good fake tan can look just as good without the harmful effects. My favourite fake tan is the Fake Bake Flawless tan (full post here) because, as stated in the name, it creates a flawless even looking tan. If fake tanning is not your thing, I would recommend This Works Perfect Skin Miracle to even out the skin tone whilst giving a bronzed sheen to the legs, helping to give you that extra bit of confidence in the hotter weather.

Protection for your hair can be just as important as your skin if you want to keep healthy-looking and hydrated locks. To protect, this spray from Mark Hill is perfect; with SPF it helps to protect from the suns rays and prevent a dry scalp or fading colour. To intensely treat sun-damaged and dry hair, this moisture rich hair mask from Redken helps to reverse existing damage and prevent colour fading.

To complete the polished look for summer, a pretty nail varnish is at the top of my list. My favourite colours for summer are bright corals or pretty pastels. I absolutely love Fiji from Essie as it looks light, feminine and polished whilst Tart Deco adds a bright splash of colour.

A light summer spritz of perfumeis the final step in my summer and holiday preparation. I have always been a fan of YSL Elle perfume, so the summer edition is great for me!

What are your essential summer items for the body? My next post will be my favourite summer beauty products for the face!

Perfume on a Budget: Zara Femme

After my last perfume post on Zara Rose perfume, I have fallen further in love with a few other Zara perfumes!

I have carried around the small bottle of the Zara Rose perfume in my bag constantly since I purchased it and I still love it, but sadly it is beginning to run out due to repeated use! Whilst shopping in Zara recently, I decided to have a look at a few of the other perfumes and couldn't resist this: Zara Femme Eau de Toilette Natural Spray.

This is much more musky than the Rose perfume, and has less floral undertones. It is still beautifully delicate and feminine and smells as good quality as a high-end perfume. As with most cheaper perfumes, however, it doesn't last very long but it does leave a subtle scent all day. I love the pattern on the bottle, however, I am not too much of a fan of the wooden lid but I certainly can't complain for the price.

This bottle was £9.99 for 80 ml which is an absolute bargain! I am certain there will be a Zara perfume for everyone as the range is quite diverse, with loads of choice. Even the Zara Man aftershaves have proved popular with my boyfriend and are definitely as high quality.

What perfume do you go for on a budget?

Perfume on a Budget: Zara Rose

The perfect summer perfume - on a budget! This beautiful floral scent is both delicate and feminine and is a fraction of the price of high end perfumes. I find this smell to be extremely similar to Dior J'adore, which I think is a classic, expensive smelling perfume! 

The only problem I have with this product is that it doesn't last too long and I find that I have to re-spray often. On the upside, it is perfectly handbag sized and only costs an astonishing €5.95 (I bought it from a Zara in Madrid, but I am sure you can also find it in the UK for about £5!). I also think that the packaging is quite cute and minimal and perfect to carry around in your bag and to use as an everyday perfume.  

There is a massive range of perfumes in Zara which I find to resemble the scent of a range of other, more expensive perfumes, so there is definitely something for everybody!

Have you ever tried Zara perfumes?

Valentina de Valentino Perfume

I thought I would share my favourite perfume at the moment. I got this recently and I think its such a unique scent!

This is a very floral/fruity perfume whilst also being quite delicate, and I think it smells quite expensive too! I think it is a mixture between girly and sophisticated and the apparent notes feature bergamot, white truffle, white flowers, strawberry, cedar, amber and vanilla.

Aside from the gorgeous smell, the bottle is beautiful too! I got mine in a set, with some lovely body lotion, which is really smoothing and long-lasting and comes in a bottle of similar design to the perfume. The box was also lovely, and has a potential use as a jewellery or decorative box. The only downside to this perfume, which I think is quite important, is that is has no lid, and I would worry if I packed it in my suitcase to take away with me!

At the moment, this is my new favourite perfume (I do change it frequently!) and would recommend it as it is unique and smells beautiful!

What do you think? Does anyone else have love perfume?

Ali xxx